The Writing and Randomness of a Physical Therapist and Sci-Fi/Fantasy Author

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Sword & Prophecies & Dragons

So, I have two things for you today because I don’t put things on my calendar immediately and therefore have no concept of what my schedule looks like until I double book a blog tour and a cover reveal. Let this be a lesson to you. But they’re both pretty exciting!

First up, an excerpt from Hope Ann’s new novella The Song of the Sword!

Welcome to the launch of Song of the Sword, the second novella in the Legends of Light series! Although the history of Aslaria and the conflict between the Prince and the rebel, Tauscher, flows chronologically though the series, each novella is a stand-alone retelling of a favorite fairy tale. Each story in this nine novella series focuses on one of the nine aspects of the Fruit of the Spirit while also retelling popular fairy tales in a clean, exciting, and inspiring manner.

A glittering sword.An ancient oath.A blackened rose.And a melody which ties it all together.

Evrard and Roinette, twins separated at birth, are caught in a battle beyond their own limited powers. With their ability to walk in the melody realm, catching glimpses of the light and darkness underlying Aslaria, comes even more danger.
Deadly mistbenders. Writhing walls of blankness. Hateful drumbeats. As a warrior in the Melody, Evrard has seen it all. But his own ability in the melody realm pales in comparison to the Prince’s melody, the legendary prowess of past Wingmasters, and even the depth of his sister’s song.
To rescue Roinette and evade the trap almost certainly set for him by those who want his power, Evrard knows he’ll have to be careful. Even if he can find the Wingmaster’s sword, there’s no assurance he’ll be able to defeat a mistbender on his own. In the end, will his and Roinette’s efforts matter if the Prince brings an ancient oath to fulfillment, shaking the very foundation of Aslaria?

Excerpt!

Roinette had entered the melody realm before, but always she was surrounded by mist. Until this morning. This morning, when Roinette slipped into the coolness of the Melody, the mist had vanished, replaced by a blazing light.

The brightness of the clean, gleaming dawn stunned Roinette. The heart-beat throb she’d clung to for years echoed through the light more clearly than she’d ever heard it before.

But, once in the tower, a tension had sifted through the air. A wild melody which mingled half-forgotten drums with the high silver call of horns.

“A battle, I’d wager.” Punzel pressed her wings against her sleek, cat-like body when Roinette described what she heard. She’d paused, sagely examining her paw and giving it one last lick, then rubbed her head on Roinette’s knee. “Nothing to concern yourself with, I’m sure.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you heard it.” Roinette bit the inside of her cheek as she twisted a loose strand of her long blond hair around her finger.

She knew the drums. Even without the mist, a chill shuddered though her veins. But the horns hadn’t been there then. There had been no battle that day.

Only death.

She couldn’t forget. She’d tried, but every day the mist throbbed a reminder through her brain. Except now the mist was gone.

Roinette took a deep breath and closed her eyes, melding back into the Melody. The notes raced through her blood, surging and ebbing through her mind in a chaos of color and emotion. Love, hate, hope, sorrow, and fear. So much fear.

Stretching with her mind, Roinette focused, drawing on the light. The leagues passed in a rush under her gaze until they reached the edges of a forest.

There it was.

A gloom, filled with darting shadows and tendrils of mist which spun outwards. Punzel had been right. A battle raged, the light brighter than anything she’d ever seen. Even through the haze caused by distance, the familiar melody gleamed brighter than she’d ever thought possible. Over the field it surged, mingling with the humming darkness. Back and forth the two lines intertwined and wavered. The familiar, deep, heart-throbbing melody underlay the whole scene with a foundation of power. Over it all was another song, clearer, sometimes wavering, but always with purpose, branching and darting about like a web.

About the Author

Hope Ann is a Christian authoress who lives on a small farm in northern Indiana. She was homeschooled and now helps teach several of her eight younger siblings.
She has been writing for over five years, and has so many story ideas that she doubts she will ever stop. Her favorite genre to write is high fantasy with a touch of the allegorical. A close second is futuristic suspense. Her goal is to not only entertain with her stories, but to provide inspirational fiction for young adults.
Predictably, she loves reading fantasy, fairy tales, mythology, and futuristic suspense. Her favorite authors include J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Dickens, Frank Peretti, Mark Twain, and Serena Chase.
Her hobbies include photography, movie making, knitting, tree climbing, writing e-mails to friends, listening to Celtic music, and collecting shiny trinkets for story inspiration.

Giveaway!!!

Hope is giving away a beautiful, one-of-a-kind mug with the Legends of Light logo emblazoned on its side, along with a Song of the Sword bookmark. Due to shipping costs, at this time the mug giveaway is limited to the USA. However, there is a second giveaway of a $10 Amazon gift card, along with another Song of the Sword bookmark, for international readers! Please only enter one of the giveaways. Click on the pictures to enter!

USA Giveaway

International Giveaway

And now on to the second part! The cover reveal for Kendra Ardnek’s new book, Lady Dragon, Tela Du! A bunch of people I know loved the first book, Water Princess, Fire Prince. It’s very reminiscent of Narnia but is clearly original in its own right, so if you love portal fantasy you should definitely check it out!

About the Book

Two girls with one face
Two girls with twisted fate
One in purple, one in red
One shall speak the other’s death
Who shall win their final war?
Lady Dragon or Tela Du?

Amber, the Lady Dragon, has been promised a fifty-year reign over Rizkaland and nothing can stop her from claiming it. But when you’ve lived six thousand years, fifty is such a pitiful number. Only one person can keep her from making this reign permanent – the Tela Du, a girl who shall share Amber’s face.

The last thing Petra wants is a magical world interrupting her plans for a normal life, let alone an ultimate battle against the Lady Dragon with only one prophesied survivor. She has her childhood best friend, Reuben, at her side, but she’s not sure if he’s more of a help or a hindrance right now. Though she’d much prefer to just return home and forget about this whole crazy affair, things change when she discovers that the world has surprising connections to her own family – including her sister who disappeared without a trace two years before. Still, Rizkaland can’t possibly expect her to risk her very life, can it?

About the Author

Kendra E. Ardnek is a homeschool graduate who picked up a pen at an early age and never put it down. The eldest of four, she makes her home in the Piney Woods of East Texas with her parents, younger siblings, giant herd of giraffes, and honor guard of nutcrackers.

Snippet!

“Noted,” said Amber. “Now are you done with me? I have much to prepare if I’m to assume control of Rizkaland.”

“I suppose you do, since you are convinced that it’s worth it.” Granite didn’t protest as she stood and walked away, though as she reached the door to the palace, he spoke again. “Just make sure you don’t forget the little things in these final days.”

“I focus on what is necessary,” she answered. “Perhaps one day, you’ll realize this for yourself. I only have fifty years.”

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5 thoughts on “Sword & Prophecies & Dragons”

Thanks so much for being part of my blog tour!
I’m looking forward to Lady Dragon, Tela Du too. I was able to beta read Water Princess, Fire Prince, but missed this novel…meaning I need to wait until it’s published. 😦

You are welcome! I really enjoyed The Rose of Prophecy so I can’t wait to read this one!
Boo! It’s always so hard to wait until books are published, especially when you might know some of the beta readers.